DENVER – Fort Hays State Softball started the 2022 season with a pair of setbacks at MSU Denver on Saturday (Feb. 5). The Roadrunners won game one 8-1 before taking the second game in walk-off fashion by a score of 6-5. It was the first two games of the season for both squads.
Game 1: MSU Denver 8, Fort Hays State 1
A big fourth inning turned out to be too much for the Tigers to recover from in the opener of the 2022 season. FHSU initially took a 1-0 lead in the top half of the fourth, but saw the Roadrunners rally with several extra base hits in the bottom half of the inning.
Fort Hays State manufactured its only run of the game by loading the bases with a Jessica Espinoza single, a Sarah Tiffany walk, and then an error by the Roadrunners. Loren Beggs produced a sacrifice fly down the right field line to score Espinoza from third.
FHSU starter Morgan Schmidt held the Roadrunners scoreless through three innings, but ran into trouble in the fourth surrendering four straight hits that quickly turned into four runs. Three of those hits went for extra bases as MSU Denver vaulted out in front 4-1 in the blink of an eye. Bailey Carlson relieved Schmidt and surrendered a sac fly and another extra-base hit that pushed the advantage to 6-1. The first of those two runs surrendered with Bailey in the circle went on Schmidt's final line. Carlson settled in to work a scoreless fifth, but allowed two more runs in the sixth.
Espinoza had the only two hits of the game for the Tigers as MSU Denver starter Destinee Lopez threw a complete game and struck out 14 Tigers.
Game 2: MSU Denver 6, Fort Hays State 5
Fort Hays State had MSU Denver down to its last out with a 5-4 lead in the seventh when the Roadrunners won in walk-off fashion on a two-run home run by Hannah DiFabio. FHSU had just taken its first lead of the day in the top half of the seventh.
MSU Denver worked its way out to a 4-0 lead by scoring two in the first, one in the third, and one in the fifth. However, the Tigers came storming back in the sixth thanks to several miscues by the Roadrunners. After a pair of walks by Sydnee Hoffman and Sara Breckbill, Regan Curry singled home the first run for the Tigers. An error then helped the Tigers load the bases and Madison Pierce was hit by a pitch to force in a second run. With Reese Curry at the dish, a wild pitch allowed her sister Regan to score from third, drawing the Tigers within one. The Tigers completed a four-run comeback when a wild pitch scored Sarah Tiffany from third.
The Tigers grabbed their first lead in the top of the seventh when Loren Beggs doubled and advanced on a throwing error to set up a sacrifice fly RBI by Breckbill. However, a leadoff walk to start the bottom of the seventh would ultimately set up the walk-off home run with two outs by DiFabio.
Savanah Egger went the distance for the Tigers in the pitching circle. She struck out four in her complete-game effort. Sarah Norton of MSU Denver was in the pitching circle for all but one Tiger out and picked up the win. She struck out six.
The Tigers look to bounce back tomorrow when they play a doubleheader at Regis University. The doubleheader is set to begin at 1 pm CT / 12 pm MT at the Regis Softball Field in Denver. The Rangers split a pair of games with Cal Poly Humboldt on Saturday to open their season.
FHSU Athletics